Packaging a range of different sweets, using the one packaging line, requires flexibility and equipment that will carry out several tasks simultaneously, which was the catalyst for the Cadbury plant at Scoresby (Vic) to look around for suitable packaging machinery that would fulfill a number of criteria.
A Cadbury spokesperson explained the various considerations behind upgrading their packaging line. “We manufacture and package a variety of lines, mainly based on liquorice type sweets, in many shapes and sizes. Our previous plant lacked flexibility to readily adapt to different packs and was not as efficient as modern production methods require, taking considerable time to be changed over from one product to the next.”
The company looked at the various packaging machines available, and consulted five suppliers in the initial investigation phase. “We came down to a short list of two, and when we looked at the various functions, the PFM Tornado Electronic Flow Wrapper distributed by Emrich Industries won hands down.
The PFM Tornado is a horizontal packaging ideal for food and similar products, that features automatic electronic controls that can be set to accommodate different pack length and widths, and can operate at high speeds.
The unit at the Cadbury plant is used to package liquorice sticks and yards (which are 90 cm long continuous strips), snakes and similar confectionary lines. Cadbury’s required the machine to be customised to provide optimum flexibility and it was fitted with adjustable side guides and double reel holders, allowing fast changeover when the products on the line change.
Cadbury’s spokesperson commented on a number of reasons for choosing the PFM Tornado Electronic Flow Wrapper through Emrich:
“We can adjust the machine to handle packs up to 600 mm long and 160 mm wide. The machine forms the bag from the roll of film, heat seals sides and ends, as well as forming a hole in the top seam for hanging up on a store display rack. But the real bonus of the machine is that it can be pre-programmed, and at a push of a button can be changed to handle a different pack.
“With the double reel holder, accommodating film for two product types, we can change packaging lines at the push of a button. This is saving a lot of time when changing products on the packaging line, and it runs at better than 97% efficiency, reducing spoilage that was a considerable problem with our previous equipment.”
“The machine is versatile, easy to operate and set, and was far ahead of any other equipment we looked at. The other bonus was the fact that Emrich was very helpful in adapting the unit to our special customised needs, and their staff were very helpful at every stage, from demonstration, installation and ongoing service.”
“While the unit has been reliable and caused no problems since it was installed, it is simple to maintain and service, which is another consideration in plant producing the volume we put through at Cadbury’s.”
